The present invention relates to umbrellas and canopies for structures, more particularly to an umbrella assembly for a barbeque grill.
Outdoor barbeque grills are in common use, and a variety of accessories for such grills are known, such as an attachable light to aid in outdoor grilling at night as described in Murch, Sr. U.S. Pat. No. D383,235. A few patents have mentioned the possibility of providing an outdoor cooking grill with an umbrella or canopy for protecting the grill and the cook from rain. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,196,114, 5,564,452, and 4,170,173. However, such rain coverings have not found widespread application on smaller, portable grills of the kind used by consumers. Attaching an umbrella to a grill weighing less than 50 pounds entails the risk that the umbrella will be caught by the wind and cause the entire grill to tip over, possibly resulting in fire or injury. The present invention addresses this shortcoming.
An umbrella assembly according to the invention is suitable for mounting over an outdoor barbeque grill, such as a gas or charcoal grill. The assembly includes an umbrella, an arm configured for supporting the umbrella in a position over the grill, suitable means for mounting the umbrella on the arm, suitable means for removably attaching a proximal end of the arm to the grill, and suitable means for preventing the umbrella from causing a grill to which the umbrella assembly is attached from falling over when a gust of wind strikes the umbrella. The means for mounting the umbrella on the arm may comprise a holder which receives an end portion of a vertically oriented handle of the umbrella. The arm is preferably directed outwardly from the grill and then reaches over it, leaving space for removal of a grill cover. The means for preventing the umbrella from causing the grill to fall over may take a variety of forms and for that reason is generally defined. However, such means is part of the umbrella assembly, not the grill itself, and thus would not encompass simply making the grill so massive it cannot tip over, or permanently mounting the grill to its supporting surface.
According to one embodiment of the invention, the preventing means covers structures affecting the wind resistance of the umbrella itself; the problem of tipping over a portable grill can be solved by wind-proofing the umbrella. For example, the umbrella is provided with means such as venting that reduces forces exerted by wind on the umbrella. As a second approach, the umbrella assembly can also be provided with means for permitting the umbrella to separate from the arm when a wind force exerted on the umbrella exceeds a predetermined level. This prevents the grill from tipping over by preventing the umbrella from taking the grill with it if a strong gust of wind occurs.
In another aspect, the invention provides a connection between the support arm from above the umbrella, rather than from below. Such an umbrella assembly suitable for mounting over an outdoor barbeque grill includes an umbrella, an arm configured for supporting the umbrella in a position over the grill, means for mounting the umbrella on the arm, which means includes a mechanical connection between a top end of a central shaft of the umbrella and an end portion of the arm extending above the umbrella, and means for removably attaching a proximal end of the arm to the grill. These and other aspects of the invention are discussed in the detailed description which follows.